Post University offers popular online programs for accounting students. In addition to associates and bachelors programs, they also offer certificates for CPA preparation and forensic accounting.

If you are detail oriented and analytical a bachelor’s degree in accounting is a good investment in your future. Accounting is a growing career path with good employment prospects and lucrative salaries. The average salary for an accountant in 2009 was $51,000 with many accountants making more based on experience, education level and the nature of the accountant’s responsibilities. Did you know more CEO’s have degrees in accounting than in any other field?

In these tough times one area of business that is still growing is accounting. With the passage of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002 expanding the federal government’s regulation of corporate financial practices the demand for accountants in the private sector soared. Now with revenues falling, businesses are hiring accountants not just to help them develop and implement the strict internal controls required by Sarbanes-Oxley but to assist with cost controls and improving efficiency. Government organizations like the federal General Accounting Office, the IRS, the FBI, the CIA and local and state government agencies continue to hire accountants. And the public accounting firms are stable or growing. In a recent survey, 91% of the public accounting firms indicated they plan to increase hiring or continue hiring accountants at the same level as last year according to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

A bachelor’s degree in accounting is required for most accounting jobs and to take the CPA exam in most states. It is also a great first step toward attaining graduate business degrees. A bachelor’s degree in accounting provides graduates with a basic foundation of accounting principles and practices, a familiarity with accounting technology and systems, and hones interpersonal and problem solving skills.

While the rewards of a bachelor’s degree in accounting are great it is not an easy path. First you must like working with numbers, you must be logical in how you approach a problem and you must be analytical. Second you must be willing to work hard for four years. To do really well in your accounting academic programs and to be an outstanding accountant you must also be creative. The very best accountants are valued for their ability to think outside the box.

The first two years of most undergraduate accounting programs include an array of general education requirements including math, humanities, science, writing, literature, history and psychology and basic and intermediate debit and credit accounting classes. From the third year on you will typically concentrate on more advanced accounting practices and specialized accounting courses in taxation, auditing, and governmental and managerial accounting. In addition, you will also take finance, business management and economics courses. Most programs also require courses in statistics, probability and calculus. A graduate of a solid accounting program will have a well rounded education ready to take advantage of a variety of employment opportunities or continue their educational pursuits.

So, you have considered all the hard work which will be required to obtain your bachelor’s degree in accounting and you are convinced accounting is the right path for you to take. The next decision you have to make is where to enroll. There are accounting programs at most traditional colleges with business schools and there are on line programs offering accounting degrees.

On line programs definitely provide the most flexibility and are typically less expensive than traditional programs. If you are a self motivated and disciplined student and budget is a consideration an on line program may be a good choice for you. However you need to carefully check out the quality of on line programs you are considering. Make sure the program you choose is accredited by an accreditation agency that is recognized by the US Department of Education. You can find a list of reputable accreditation agencies and accredited higher education institutions on the Department’s website. In addition the Online Education Data Base (ODEB at http://oedb.org/rankings) does a ranking of on line accounting programs. Ask the on line program you are considering where graduates of the program are working or where they are attending graduate business programs. You do not want to put in four years of hard work only to discover that a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the on line institution you chose is not highly regarded by employers or graduate schools. Another good statistic to seek out is the percentage of the program’s graduates who have successfully passed the CPA exam.

If you are considering a traditional college accounting program, there are several publications and organizations that review and rank business schools and programs. While rankings are not everything they will give you an assessment of the quality of the program. Business Week, US News and World Report, The Financial Times and The Princeton Review all provide their unique version of college and business school rankings.

Come up with a short list of programs that appear to meet your needs and financial constraints then do some more in depth research. If cost is important to you ask the financial aid office what type of scholarships, work study, and student loans are available. You can also search on line. Scholarships targeted toward the accounting profession are offered on the national, state, local and institutional level. There are online scholarship identification websites which provide scholarship specific search engines that will pull information from large databases and sort the scholarship information according to criteria you specify. Many professional accounting associations offer accounting scholarship opportunities. Generally their websites provide the application form and information as to deadlines and eligibility criteria.

Do not make a final decision without visiting the campus. Most prospective students say they obtained the most useful information from a campus visit. Be sure to take the time to talk to current students, faculty and program staff. Sit in on a class. Ask questions that are important to you. Ask about student/faculty ratios; faculty accessibility to students outside of the classroom; internships; career services support; where recent graduates have been placed; and recent graduates’ pass rates on the CPA exam.

When you find a program that meets your personal needs and professional goals you are ready to begin your accounting education.

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